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Advent Day 18: Erl Hell

Erl Hell |Geiselhoring Germany It was a miserable evening. It had not rained all day. We spent the day cleaning the house and finishing the last of the Christmas decorating. Mrs. Dan asked what “what are you making for dinner.” I then asked Mr. Ben what he was making for dinner as I was in the mood to delegate responsibility. He said chicken and noodles but served separately. Not really willing to delegate all of the responsibility as there might be grilling involved I got out some chicken thighs and fired up the grill. He manned the pot of boiling water and started reading the box instructions like it was a 10th grade science experiment. I used some Gunpowder Finishing Salt (a delicious seasoning I bought at Farmview Market in Madison) on the chicken and headed to the grill. It is a law of sorts that if you are outside…

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Advent Day 17: Turbo Prop Imperial Pils

Turbo Prop Imperial Pils

Turbo Prop Imperial Pils |Bad Laasphe, Germany Okay, two labels from the Man Bag kinda gave me the creeps. The Landgang Pils (with the hoppy sailor) and this one that looks like a kid wearing an old leather pilot’s helmet and goggles as he prepares to fly down a hill on an apple crate with rollerskates on the bottom. Both are in the Advent Calendar. I guess I’m getting too politically correct in my old age.  The thought of a young’un on a can of beer sets off my PC alarm. So, I’ve decided that it’s not a kid and it’s some whacky German pilot and there must be a rule that Pils in Germany should have whacky labels. Back to the beer. I enjoyed it because of the Imperial nature of this Pils. So what the heck does that mean? I turned to my handy Oxford Companion to Beer…

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Advent Day 16: Loncium Vienna Style Lager

Loncium Vienna Style Lager

Loncium Vienna Style Lager |Austria These guys appear to be modern day craft brewers. Their name is derived from a Celtic name for the district of Mauthen. Their website says they want to make beers that are not just appealing to the masses but something that can bring national and international awards. And from what I can tell they did win a WBA award for Best Amber/Vienna. The description of their beers and the feel of their website implies they are modern day brewers. They also provide production for gypsy brewers which means they understand young hip upstarts. But did they produce this beer? What make things confusing is that the can says it’s brewed and owned by Kalea, the producer of the Man Bag and the Brewer’s Advent Calendar. This brew was in my Man Bag from this summer. On the Loncium website they have an Austrian Amber Lager…

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Advent Day 15: Perlenzauber IPA

Perlenzauber IPA

Perlenzauber IPA |Großköllnbach, Germany [dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;”] [/dropcap] I was kind of surprised to see an IPA but there is was. IPAs aren’t my favorite but from time to time I find one I like. This one was very much like an East Coast IPA. Kinda funky label with a girl in a bikini top falling or trying to save herself. The can says it was brewed by Egerer but the BeerTasting App says “The pearl magic is Gipsy Brewing beer which is brewed and bottled exclusively for the Kalea beer advent calendar. Every year this specialty is brewed in a different brewery. This year the renowned Memminger brewery from Bavaria is allowed to swing the mash spoons. What are they brewing for us? 6.0% ABV.” So Perlenzauber is “Pearl Magic” in German. Maybe the girl is diving for pearls in her swimsuit. So maybe they changed brewers…

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Advent Day 14: Flotzinger Hell aus Rosenheim

Flötzinger Hell aus Rosenheim

Flötzinger Hell aus Rosenheim |Rosenheim, Germany Another from the Man Bag. How disappointing. And it’s another Hell. How disappointing. It looked like a Hell. It tasted like a Hell. It smelled like a Hell. It was a Hell. This brewery dates back to 1543 so they have some experience and it shows. After tasting four Helles so far I guess I can make a comparison. I enjoyed it. Would have preferred something dark and winter-like but it was a good beer. This was a very mild beer. The aroma was good especially after it warms up. Kinda bready. You kind of forget you are tasting a beer and find yourself just enjoying it while you prep dinner. Maybe that’s a sign of a good beer. You forget you are drinking it. Nothing to jump out and tell you that something is different, forcing you to stop and think if it’s…

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Advent Day 13: Landgang Pils

Landgang Pils

Landgang Pils |Hamburg, Germany Yikes another from the Man Bag. This is the third beer in the calendar that was in the Mannerhandtasche XXL I bought in the summer. The label on this brew creeped me out back when I first tried it in September. It’s got the same Best Buy date as the previous. The label looks like a recruiting poster for the Village People. The sailor has a hop bud on his cap. They call this one a Pils which is a bit more modern form of Pilsner but since Pilsner is originally a Czech brew calling it a Pils gives it more of a non-Czech feel. As I said before Pilsners are typically not my favorite. Some are more bitter than others. This one is a little on the lighter side. It’s got the Pilsner bitterness but is slightly smoother also that’s always a mystery how a…

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Advent Day 12: Ladenburger Weizenbock Hell

Ladenburger Weizenbock Hell

Ladenburger Weizenbock Hell |Neuler, Germany Now we are getting somewhere. This is a Weizenbock. Getting a bit darker as compared to the clear Helles they seem to feature. Nice cloudy amber almost looking like fresh squeezed cider. Nice and malty. Slightly sweet (real sweet compared to the Helles and Pilsners). A bit bready on the third sip. I taste raisins. Not sweet raisins but the underlying flavor. I love the mouthfeel. This is a beer I can enjoy at Christmas. At 8% this is the highest ABV so far. I found it on their website. I would love to try their Old Swabian Dark. Here is what they say about this beer: “WEIZENBOCK HELL: A classic, top-fermented, golden yellow bock beer, which won several awards in Europe and the World. Three times in a row (2014/2015/2016) the European Beer Star Gold Award and at the World Beer Cup 2016 in…

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Advent Day 11: Marie Hausbrendel Hell

Beer on Tap at Savannah River Keepers Bells and Buoys

Schwarzbräu Marie Hausbrendel Hell |Zusmarshausen, Germany I sorta did my own calendar tonight. I attended the Savannah Riverkeepers Bells and Buoys fundraiser and had Service Brewing Rally Point and Savannah River’s No Jacket Required on tap. When I unloaded the beer from the Advent Calendar earlier in the day I noticed it was another Hell. The label has a young traditionally dressed German lass carrying mugs of beer. I was tempted to say “fräulein” but I read that that term has fallen out of favor and is considered offensive. I don’t want to offend anyone especially over beer. I really enjoyed Service Brewing’s Rally Point Pilsner. It reminded me of the Käuzle from the night before (a German Pilsner). This was on tap so it was pretty fresh. I enjoyed pairing it with the grits from the grits bar. I topped by grits with cheese and bacon after stirring in…

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Advent Day 10: Käuzle German Pilsner

Kauzen-Brau Kauzle German Pilsner

Kauzen-Brau Käuzle German Pilsner |Ochsenfurt, Germany Okay. I’m feeling a bit cheated here. I was hoping for a new tasting experience throughout Advent but this is one of the same brews from the Man Bag. The Best By Dates are the same so they were pretty much produced at the same time. The difference is I bought the Man Bag six months ago. The label has an owl on it and the inscription Ein Käuzle unters Schnäuzle (“A screech-owl under the whiskers!”). These guys are youngsters. They’ve only been brewing since 1809. So this is my second time drinking this. I also tried it back on Sept. 9. Pretty much the same notes. I wrote back then this was similar to another Pilsner in the Man Bag but with a nicer mouthfeel. But that mouthfeel is either perceived as slightly bitter or slightly dry. So to my palette is tastes…

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Advent Day 9: Teisnacher 1543 Festmarzen

Teisnacher 1543 Festmarzen

Teisnacher 1543 Festmarzen |Teisnach, Germany When I pulled it out of the box I got real excited. I really like Marzen-style beers. Is there a difference between a Marzen and a Festmarzen? Don’t know, but I don’t think so. So what is a Marzen? I turned to my handy Oxford Companion to Beer (you got to buy this for your favorite beer lover for Christmas). It’s got a lot of stuff on Marzen. Ah, the plot thickens. Under marzenbier it says “also see Vienna Lager.” Yesterday’s calendar beer was a Wiener Lager or “Vienna Lager.” Marzen” comes from the term Beers of March because they had to make a lot of beer before it got too hot. These brews made in March where often a bit stronger so they could store long into the summer months. Sounds like the stronger IPAs the British would brew so they could survive the…

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